Inoke Veamatahau

Supervisors:

Professor Cathy Vaughan and Professor Richard Chenhall

Bio:

Inoke has 20 years’ experience in faith community as a practical theologian, an ordained pastor with specialty in delivering faith community-based holistic care in the local church. As part of his Doctor of Ministry project (Fuller:2014), he conducted research on the effectiveness of using online communication to help faith leaders care for their people. A holistic care model called “Pastoral Net Care” was developed and later implemented and trial in a few churches in Victoria. Seeking to evaluate the effectiveness of health care services through faith-based community, Inoke will target the Multicultural Faith Communities in the Western suburbs of Melbourne. As a faith practitioner and a researcher, Inoke is aiming at exploring faith-health collaborative model of partnership that can effectively address health equity and improve well-being of the vulnerable population in the community.

PhD Title:

The role of Christian faith communities in promoting health in the Western suburbs of Melbourne.

Abstract:

The Western suburbs of Melbourne are facing various challenges in the health system and community well-being, as supported by recent research (Williams et al. (2018); Dewar et al., 2014).  Addressing the health and well-being of vulnerable populations needs a collaborative commitment that requires a comprehensive approach that integrates timely diagnosis, effective healthcare interventions, public health surveillance, and community engagement to promote health equity and well-being in the region (Correa‐Velez et al., 2010; Goeman et al., 2019).  The overall objective of this study is to understand the perspectives of the faith leaders on health and health promotion and the role of the multicultural faith communities in the Western suburbs of Melbourne.